01/01/2025
Happy New Year! I wish you health, prosperity, and great success in both your personal and professional endeavors. May 2025 bring peace, understanding, and the fulfillment of dreams to everyone.
For us at the Bulgarian Lacrosse Federation, 2025 represents a cornerstone for our development. The efforts we must make and the results we need to achieve will determine the direction of lacrosse as a sport in Bulgaria. We are looking forward to an extremely challenging yet exciting year, filled with numerous obstacles, tasks, “dreams,” and concrete actions.
For 18 years now, we have been tirelessly working on developing the sport of lacrosse in our country. We’ve organized dozens of camps, tournaments, demonstrations, and more. The Bulgarian Lacrosse Federation has not received subsidies from the state or local authorities. Our operations have been funded entirely through personal contributions from our members and donations from abroad. However, the hardest part lies ahead.
Here is what awaits us in 2025:
European Lacrosse Championship. This will be the first time the Bulgarian national team participates in an event of such caliber. The championship will be held in Wrocław, Poland, from July 10–19, 2025. Our delegation will consist of approximately 30 people (23 players, 4 coaches, and support staff, including a doctor, masseur, etc.). Budget: €40,000.
Adaptive Lacrosse. In March 2025, we will launch a program for working with children and adult with special needs. The program, developed and provided by USA Lacrosse, will include weekly sessions. Each session will last 60 minutes and is entirely free of charge. Budget: €5,000 (covers field rentals, colorful sticks and balls, T-shirts, and more).
Speed Lacrosse. An innovative version of the game involving 3-on-3 players, played with just sticks and a soft ball. Each game lasts 3x8 minutes, with no goalkeepers, and goals measuring 42” x 42”. The game is played in a “best of three halves” format. Training sessions will be held in several schools, and a school championship will take place in Sofia during the spring, with plans to expand it nationwide in the fall. Each school will be provided with goals, sticks, and balls. Currently, interest in the game has been expressed by several schools, including the First English Language High School, the Sofia High School of Mathematics “Paisii Hilendarski,” and the First Private Language School “William Shakespeare.” Budget: €5,000.
Development of the sport at club level. In 2025, we will continue organizing demonstrations in various cities across Bulgaria. We also aim to initiate regular training sessions in cities such as Pernik, Montana, Varna, Burgas, and Pazardzhik. Budget: €1,500.
Collecting equipment donations from the USA and Canada. This program involves establishing contacts, collecting and transporting equipment to a designated collection point (currently Savannah, Georgia), packing it, and shipping it to Bulgaria. The equipment Is essential for developing clubs across the country. Currently, there are over 12 registered clubs in Bulgaria, but many cannot start training due to a lack of equipment. As you know, Bulgaria is the poorest member state of the European Union, and people here face great difficulty in purchasing equipment. Budget: Undetermined.
These are the main priorities and challenges for the development of lacrosse in Bulgaria. Without your help, we will not be able to move forward.
For more information, you can contact me at [email protected] or send me a message on Messenger.
Thank you in advance, and I wish you a successful New Year.
Nikolay Cholakov
President and Co-Founder
Bulgarian Lacrosse Federation
— feeling hopeful.
